Insulated Block for Standing Seam Roof Structure

ABSTRACT

A rigid insulating body is mounted within a standing seam roof structure formed of roof supporting elements and roof panels spanning across the roof supporting elements. The body is suited for extending along a top side of a roof supporting element between an adjacent pair of roof panel mounting clips to occupy a vertical space between the top side of the roof supporting element and the bottom side of the roof panels. Blanket insulation spanning between the roof supporting elements and the roof panels is typically compressed at each roof supporting element by roof panel mounting clips fastened through the insulation from the roof panels to the roof supporting elements. The body is trapezoidal with sides which diverge from bottom to top so as to occupy the area of the blanket insulation compressed by the mounting clips at each roof supporting element.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an insulated block for use in a standing seam roof structure, and more particularly the present invention relates to a rigid insulation block that is supported along a top side of a roof supporting element where unrolled fibreglass insulation is compressed by standing seam panel mounting clips.

BACKGROUND

A typical commercial building roof using standing seam panels includes a plurality of roof supporting elements spanning parallel and spaced apart across the area of the roof. Mounting clips are secured at spaced positions along each purlin for folding securement into the standing seams of roof panels spanning across the purlins, generally perpendicularly thereto. In some instances, a layer of blanket insulation is provided comprising rolls of unfaced fiberglass insulation which are unrolled across the top sides of the purlins. The roof panel mounting clips are then secured to the top of the purlins through the insulation material such that the insulation is compressed in a trough-like manner along the top of the each purlin. While the blanket insulation remains expanded through the majority of the roof area between the top of the purlins and the roof panels space thereabove by the mounting clips, a loss of R value occurs along the top of each purlin between the mounting clips.

Rectangular blocks of rigid foam insulation are known to be mounted between adjacent ones of the mounting clips along the tops of the purlins in an effort to minimize some of the heat loss where the blanket insulation is compacted by the mounting clips. The blanket insulation however tends to vary in thickness gradually due to the layered formation thereof such that the insulation remains partially compressed adjacent each side of the rectangular thermal block resulting in a somewhat triangular space adjacent both sides of each thermal block where there remains a reduction in R value. The air collected within this space also tends to result in condensation forming on the underside of the roof panels which can subsequently cause various moisture related problems within the roof structure.

Various forms of insulating members for use along the top of the purlins are known, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,806 by Alderman, 8,316,605 by Oberg and 6,694,693 also by Alderman, and US Patent application publication 2011/0094175 by Groft. None of the prior art devices are particularly suited for reducing the condensation space occurring in a roof structure of the type using a continuous layer of blanket insulation across the purlins through which the roof mounting clips are fastened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an insulating member for use in a roof structure of a building having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart roof supporting elements and a plurality of standing seam roof panels supported by mounting clips to span transversely across the roof supporting elements, the insulating member comprising:

a body of rigid heat insulating material having a bottom face, a top face opposite the bottom face and two side faces, the two side faces extending between the top face and the bottom face at laterally opposing sides of the body;

the top face, the bottom face, and the side faces being elongate in a longitudinal direction between opposing ends of the body;

the body having an overall length between the opposing ends which is substantially equal to or less than a distance between adjacent ones of the mounting clips along the roof supporting elements;

the body having a height between the top face and the bottom face which is substantially equal to or less than a vertical distance between a top side of the roof supporting elements and a bottom side of the roof panels of the roof structure;

the bottom face of the body having a lateral width between the two side faces which is substantially equal to or greater than a width of the top side of the roof supporting elements; and

the side faces diverging upwardly and laterally outwardly from one another such that the top face of the body has a lateral width between the two side faces which is greater than the lateral width of the bottom face.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a roof structure for a building, the roof structure comprising:

a plurality of roof supporting elements which are supported parallel and spaced apart from one another;

a plurality of standing seam roof panels spanning transversely across the roof supporting elements;

a plurality of mountings clips at spaced positions along the roof supporting elements, securing opposing side edges of the standing seam roof panels to the roof supporting elements; and

a plurality of insulating members extending along respective top sides of the roof supporting elements between adjacent ones of the mounting clips, each insulating member comprising:

-   -   a body of rigid heat insulating material having a bottom face, a         top face opposite the bottom face and two side faces, the two         side faces extending between the top face and the bottom face at         laterally opposing sides of the body;     -   the top face, the bottom face, and the side faces being elongate         in a longitudinal direction between opposing ends of the body;     -   the body having an overall length between the opposing ends         which is substantially equal to or less than a distance between         said adjacent ones of the mounting clips along the roof         supporting elements;     -   the body having a height between the top face and the bottom         face which is substantially equal to or less than a vertical         distance between the top sides of the roof supporting elements         and a bottom side of the roof panels of the roof structure;     -   the bottom face of the body having a lateral width between the         two side faces which is substantially equal to or greater than a         width of the top sides of the roof supporting elements; and     -   the side faces diverging upwardly and laterally outwardly from         one another such that the top face of the body has a lateral         width between the two side faces which is greater than the         lateral width of the bottom face.

Typically a layer of blanket insulation spanning across the roof supporting elements in which the mounting clips are secured to the roof supporting elements through the layer of blanket insulation. In this instance, the side faces of the insulating member are preferably in substantially abutment with the layer of blanket insulation, substantially along a full height of the insulating member.

By providing an insulating block with a width which diverges from the bottom to the top, the resulting sloped sides better accommodate the actual shape formed by the compression of the layer of blanket insulation pressed down on the roof supporting elements by the mounting blocks. The unique shape of the insulating blocks described herein surprisingly substantially eliminate the air spaces which otherwise occur when using rectangular insulating blocks and thus solves condensation related problems.

The side faces may be planar surfaces which are linearly sloped from the bottom face to the top face of the body so as to diverge from one another along a full height of the body between the top face and the bottom face, for example at an inclination of between 30 and 60 degrees from vertical.

Preferably the height of the body is substantially equal to the vertical distance between the top side of the roof supporting elements and the bottom side of the roof panels.

Preferably the lateral width of the bottom face of the body is substantially equal to the width of the top side of the roof supporting elements.

Preferably the overall length of the body between the opposing ends is substantially equal to the distance between said adjacent ones of the mounting clips.

The top and bottom faces may comprise planar surfaces which are horizontal and parallel to one another. Furthermore, each of the opposing ends of the body may comprise an end face which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partly sectional perspective view of a prior art roof structure incorporating rectangular insulating blocks;

FIG. 2 is a sectional end view of the prior art roof construction according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of a roof structure incorporating the insulating member according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partly sectional perspective view of the roof structure including the insulating member according to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partly sectional view side view of the insulting member according to FIG. 3 within the roof structure; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the insulating member according to FIG. 3, shown separated from the roof structure.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the accompanying figures, there is illustrated an insulating member generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The insulating member 10 is particularly suited for use with a standing seam roof structure 12 of a commercial building for example.

The roof structure 12 typically comprises a plurality of roof supporting elements 14 which are mounted parallel and spaced apart from one another to span the top side of a building at the exterior side of the roof structure. The roof supporting elements may take the form of various types of purlins, roof battens, or other roof members arranged in a parallel and spaced relationship in a repeating manner across the roof and upon which exterior sheathing or roofing panels of finishing roofing material are supported at the exterior side of a building roof.

Each roof supporting element 14 in the illustrated embodiment comprises a Z-shaped purlin includes a base portion 16 engaged upon the building structure therebelow, an upright portion 18 extending upwardly from the base portion, and a top plate 20 which defines a generally horizontal upper mounting surface of the roof supporting element upon which mounting clips 22 for securing standing seam roof panels 24 can be fastened.

Prior to fastening the mounting clips, a layer of blanket insulation 26 is typically provided for spanning overtop of the roof supporting elements in a continuous layer. The blanket insulating typically comprises unfaced rolled fiberglass insulation which is unrolled to form a uniform layer spanning across the top plates of the roof supporting elements. Typically, the insulation is unrolled in strips which extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the roof supporting elements so that each strip of insulation spans across multiple roof supporting elements.

The mounting clips are fastened to the top plates 20 of the roof supporting elements subsequent to placement of the insulation so as to be fastened through the insulation. Accordingly the fibreglass insulation is compressed and sandwiched between the lower mounting flange of each mounting clip and the top plate of the roof supporting elements along the top side of each roof supporting element. The remaining portion of the insulation spanning between adjacent ones of the roof supporting elements remains uncompressed and occupies substantially its original thickness.

Each mounting clip 22 generally includes a base flange 26 which is fastened to the roof supporting element, an upright leg 28 which extends vertically upward from the base flange by an overall height which is greater than the standing seams of the roof panels, and a top flange 30 which is arranged to be hooked and folded into the rolled edges of the standing seams.

Each roof panel 24 generally includes a base portion 32 which forms a horizontal tray spanning laterally between two upright side portions 34 at opposing sides of the roof panel. The top edge of each side portion defines a retainer flange which is folded together with the top flange 30 of the mounting clips in forming the standing seams.

The upright side portions 34 are shorter than the upright legs of the mounting clips such that when the top flanges of the mounting clips are secured into a folded seam with the top edges of the side portions of the roof panels, the base portion defining the bottom side of the roof panels is spaced upwardly by a prescribed vertical distance above the top sides of the roof supporting elements to define an insulation space for accommodating some or all of the layer of blanket insulation therein.

Each insulating member 10 is arranged to fill a respective void in the topside of the layer of blanket insulation which extends in the longitudinal direction of the roof supporting elements between an adjacent pair of the mounting clips at opposing sides of a respective roof panel.

The insulating member also spans a vertical height corresponding to the height between the top side of the roof supporting elements and the bottom side of the roof panels. The height between a top and bottom of the insulating member is generally arranged to be slightly less than the vertical distance between the bottom of the roof panels and the top of the roof supporting elements to accommodate for the compressed layer of blanket insulation. The insulating member thus fills the void in the vertical direction between the compressed insulation and the bottom side of the roof panels.

The insulating member spans the lateral width of the void created by the compression of the insulating blanket by the roof mounting clips in a lateral direction of the roof supporting elements, which corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the standing seams of the roof panels.

The insulating member 10 generally comprises a body formed as a single unitary block having a top face 40, a bottom face 42 to side faces 44 and two end faces 46. The top face 40, the bottom face 42 and the side faces 44 are all elongate in a longitudinal direction of the block between the opposing end faces 46 which are flat and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The bottom face 42 is a flat rectangular face which is horizontally oriented for spanning along the top side of the roof supporting element while having a width in the lateral direction which is approximately equal to the width of the top plate 20 of the roof supporting element.

The two side faces 44 comprise flat planar surfaces which are sloped linearly upward and laterally outward so as to diverge away from one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the side faces are oriented at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from vertical, however, an angle typically in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees from vertical would be suitable such that the side faces would be suitably arranged for engaging the blanket insulation substantially along the full height thereof between the top and bottom faces to virtually eliminate any air spaces or condensation spots in the roof structure.

The length between the two end faces is approximately equal to the width of the roof panels in the lateral direction between the two side portions thereof such that the two end faces 46 can substantially abut respective ones of an adjacent pair of mounting clips along a respective roof supporting element. The height of the block is defined between the top and bottom faces and is suitably arranged to span the height of the void between the compressed insulation at the top side of the roof supporting elements and the bottom side of the roof panels spaced thereabove.

The top face 40 also comprises a flat rectangular surface which is horizontally oriented so as to be parallel to the bottom face and so as to be suitably arranged for close engagement against the bottom side of the roof panels in a mounting position.

Construction of a roof structure using the insulating member 10 of the present invention typically initially starts with laying the blanket insulation overtop the roof supporting elements. Mounting clips are secured in rows by fastening through the insulation blanket to the top plate of the respective roof supporting elements. The insulating members 10 are placed between adjacent pairs of mounting clips such that the bottom face is abutted against the flattened and compressed blanket insulation overtop of the roof supporting element with the width of the bottom face substantially aligned with the width of the top plate of the roof supporting element. The side faces are effectively abutted with the blanket insulation substantially along the full height thereof such that the blanket insulation gradually increases in height from its minimum compressed height at the top of the roof supporting elements to a maximum height at the area spanning between an adjacent pair of roof supporting elements. The insulating members are placed such that the top faces thereof are substantially flush with the top of the blanket insulation. When roof panels are subsequently mounted, the bottom sides of the roof panels are typically positioned directly against the top face of the insulating members 10 as well as against the top face of the uncompressed portions of the blanket insulation between the roof supporting elements. Each roofing panel is joined to the adjacent roof panel by a folded standing seam therebetween which incorporates respective mounting clips in the usual manner of the standing seam roof structure.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. 

1. An insulating member in combination with a roof structure of a building having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart roof supporting elements and a plurality of standing seam roof panels supported by mounting clips to span transversely across the roof supporting elements, the insulating member comprising: a body of rigid heat insulating material supported entirely above one of the roof supporting elements, the body having a bottom face, a top face opposite the bottom face and two side faces, the two side faces extending between the top face and the bottom face at laterally opposing sides of the body; the top face, the bottom face, and the side faces being elongate in a longitudinal direction between opposing ends of the body; the body having an overall length between the opposing ends which is substantially equal to or less than a distance between adjacent ones of the mounting clips along the roof supporting elements; the body having an overall height between the top face and the bottom face which is substantially equal to or less than a vertical distance between a top side of the roof supporting elements and a bottom side of the roof panels of the roof structure; the bottom face of the body having a lateral width between the two side faces which is substantially equal to or greater than a width of the top side of the roof supporting elements; and the side faces diverging upwardly and laterally outwardly from one another such that the top face of the body has a lateral width between the two side faces which is greater than the lateral width of the bottom face and such that the side faces diverge from one another along the overall height of the body between the bottom face above said one of the roof supporting elements and the top face.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein each of the side faces is a planar surface which is linearly sloped from the bottom face to the top face of the body.
 4. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein the side faces are oriented between 30 and 60 degrees from vertical.
 5. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein the height of the body is substantially equal to the vertical distance between the top side of the roof supporting elements and the bottom side of the roof panels.
 6. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein the lateral width of the bottom face of the body is substantially equal to the width of the top side of the roof supporting elements.
 7. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein the overall length of the body between the opposing ends is substantially equal to the distance between said adjacent ones of the mounting clips.
 8. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein the top and bottom faces comprise planar surfaces which are horizontal and parallel to one another.
 9. The insulating member according to claim 1 wherein each of the opposing ends of the body comprises an end face which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body.
 10. The insulating member according to claim 1 in wherein the roof structure includes a layer of blanket insulation spanning across the roof supporting elements, and wherein the mounting clips being are secured to the roof supporting elements through the layer of blanket insulation, the side faces of the insulating member being substantially in abutment with the layer of blanket insulation.
 11. A roof structure for a building, the roof structure comprising: a plurality of roof supporting elements which are supported parallel and spaced apart from one another; a layer of blanket insulation spanning across the roof supporting elements; a plurality of standing seam roof panels spanning transversely across the roof supporting elements above the layer of blanket insulation; a plurality of mountings clips at spaced positions along the roof supporting elements, securing opposing side edges of the standing seam roof panels to the roof supporting elements, the mounting clips being secured to the roof supporting elements through the layer of blanket insulation; and a plurality of insulating members extending along respective top sides of the roof supporting elements between adjacent ones of the mounting clips, each insulating member comprising: a body of rigid heat insulating material having a bottom face, a top face opposite the bottom face and two side faces, the two side faces extending between the top face and the bottom face at laterally opposing sides of the body; the top face, the bottom face, and the side faces being elongate in a longitudinal direction between opposing ends of the body; the body having an overall length between the opposing ends which is substantially equal to or less than a distance between said adjacent ones of the mounting clips along the roof supporting elements; the body having a height between the top face and the bottom face which is substantially equal to or less than a vertical distance between the top sides of the roof supporting elements and a bottom side of the roof panels of the roof structure; the bottom face of the body having a lateral width between the two side faces which is substantially equal to or greater than a width of the top sides of the roof supporting elements; and the side faces diverging upwardly and laterally outwardly from one another such that the top face of the body has a lateral width between the two side faces which is greater than the lateral width of the bottom face and such that the side faces of the insulating member are in abutment with the layer of blanket insulation substantially along a full height of the insulating member.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the side faces diverge from one another along a full height of the body between the top face and the bottom face.
 14. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein each of the side faces is planar surface which is linearly sloped from the bottom face to the top face of the body.
 15. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the side faces are oriented between 30 and 60 degrees from vertical.
 16. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the height of the body is substantially equal to the vertical distance between the top side of the roof supporting elements and the bottom side of the roof panels.
 17. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the lateral width of the bottom face of the body is substantially equal to the width of the top side of the roof supporting elements.
 18. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the overall length of the body between the opposing ends is substantially equal to the distance between said adjacent ones of the mounting clips.
 19. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein the top and bottom faces comprise planar surfaces which are horizontal and parallel to one another.
 20. The roof structure according to claim 11 wherein each of the opposing ends of the body comprises an end face which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body. 